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Cote De Texas #8

This week, Cote de Texas names Atlanta designer Suzanne Kasler to the #8 spot in its Top Ten Designers list. Extremely prolific, Kasler has blazed her a trail through the Interior Design world. Her houses are published at a rate that must make other designers extremely envious. It seems that almost every other month, another Kasler designed home shows up in one prestigious magazine or another. Young and vibrant, Kasler's designs are as colorful and full of life as she is. Even with a "look" that leans towards eclectic, Kasler always seems to add a French antique to each room. She says she can do "high" or "low" design, but prefers to mix up the two spectrums despite the budget. And indeed, a typical Kasler room will have at least one priceless antique and at least one item sourced from a catalogue. Not one to design strictly neutral interiors, she loves to use blues and pinks and often mixes the two colors together. Even a predominantly monochromatic room will usually have a few pops of color to give it a spark.

Kasler's popularity stems from the accessibility of her designs. Her rooms are fun, not stuffy, inviting and always warm. And, her designs especially appeal to woman. Kasler brings a definite touch of femininity to her work. Her career took off after she, her husband and daughter moved to Atlanta in the early 90s. Veranda and Atlanta Homes were early to recognize her talent. But it was the Southern Accents Showhouse, Water Mark in Santa Rita Beach that catapulted Kasler to national stardom. The project was immense: a beach house mac mansion located in the trendy Florida panhandle. Kasler chose blues and aquas as the building blocks of the showhouse and it proved t0 be an instant boost for her career.

Kasler likes to paint her rooms in creamy or white tones and she brings the color in with accessories and fabrics. She advises painting the walls, trim and ceiling in the same color and says she never paints a ceiling builder-white. She strives to make her rooms comfortable and user friendly. She enjoys using her client's own possessions and encourages client participation in the project. Kasler likes to mix "beauty with comfort" and her rooms certainly reflect this.

This year, Kasler's star reaches it's pinnacle with the debut of a line of furniture that she designed for Hickory Chair. Also in the works are a line of fabrics and lighting fixtures. She cites John Saladino as an inspiration and her favorite books include ones written by Rose Tarlow, Bunny Williams, Sillis and Huniford, and a personal favorite of mine: the Belgian based Beta-Plus library, which she keeps at her office for daily referencing. Thanks to Kasler's youth, her stamp on interior design will be long lived.

The Southern Accents Showcase home, Water Mark, in Florida, which brought Kasler to national attention.

In the entry hall, Kasler set up the room as a combination dining area, reading area, and stair hall. The walls are bathed in white, yet pops of blue from fabrics and accessories bring in the color.

This picture from Water Mark made the cover of Southern Accents. The beautiful slip covered chair with its dressmaker details, the tranquil abstract painting, the striped dhurri rugs - all added together to give the house its fresh, updated look. This isn't your mother's beach house.

The showstopper of the house: the kitchen. The wall of aqua blue glass tiles on the back splash brought blue into the room. Note the gorgeous white carrara marble, the double sink, the beautiful, oversized hardware. And, also notice how Kasler put woven shades on the windows to add texture in order to tone down all the room's slickness.

Another view of the gorgeous beach kitchen with the soothing blue glass tiled back splash.

For one of the bedrooms, Kasler mixed a black sleigh bed with mirrored furniture and cool blues. Overscaled stripes and checks are favorite fabrics for Kasler window treatments.

Another important project for Kasler, this time a Georgian home. The stately entrance with the black and white marble floor and impressive moldings.

The living room: all neutral with pops of blues and pinks. Note how Kasler brings pink in with the trim on the chair skirts and the velvet on a french chair. The blues come from the lampshades, the trumeau mirror, and the porcelain dishes.

A closer view. Kasler layered an antique rug over sisal: highs and lows, a Kasler trademark.

And in this corner of the same room above, Kasler used a Saladino shelter sofa paired with a large, dark antique screen. I particularly love this vignette. Just beautiful.

Classic Kasler: hand painted de Gournay wallpaper is matched with slip covers on the English antique chairs. The slips keep the formal furniture from seeming stuffy. As a result, this room appears fresh and young enough for a lively family with children.

Another view of the dining room, showing the fireplace and more of the slip covered chairs.

The breakfast room in the Georgian home. Printed linen fabric used for the french chairs and curtains.

For a lake house, Kasler used overscaled furniture and accessories to fill this cavernous room. Note the stools she pulled up to the library table instead of chairs. As usual, seagrass was used. Large, custom cut seagrass layered over hardwood floors is a great and inexpensive way to warm up a room and provide texture and color at the same time. Additionally, layering antique rugs over a larger seagrass rug allows the use of a smaller antique rug - economical especially in oversized rooms.

The dining room at the lake house. Kasler paired two tables in this large room. Casual chairs and a striped dhurri rug keep the room informal.

At the second table in the lake dining room - Kasler installed a banquette between the built-ins for casual dining.

The public rooms from an Atlanta home: here, the blue dining room. The blue walls are a departure for Kasler who usually paints rooms a neutral white.

The living room of the same home. Done in raspberry and cream with the famous Kasler silk striped fabric. Both rooms are exercises in symmetry.

In another home, this dining room proved extremely popular with bloggers - showing up in everyone's pictures. Again, heavily symmetrical, Kasler mixes the highs and lows: Antique tables versus Oly Studio raffia chairs. This picture made the cover, one of Kasler's many.

Another view of the above dining room. The back wall was painted an accent pink.

In this same house, the breakfast room: again a banquette is placed between built-ins.

And in the same home, an upstairs playroom: striped fabrics, trendy coral pillows, and a leather chair to juxtapose against all the lightness of the room.

A recent home in Atlanta designed by Kasler. The entry hall.

The living room: neutral walls, pops of blue color comes from fabrics.

The other side of the living room. Antique rug layered over seagrass. The collection of sunburst mirrors above the sofa is, to me, a rare misstep by Kasler. I don't think the mirrors are properly balanced. The top right mirror is not connected to the group and appears to be floating up and away from the group. In my opinion, a large single sunburst would have been much more effective and pleasing.

In the library, four chairs take the place of a sofa.

In the hallway, an antique painted Swedish sofa sits beneath an antique tapestry.

In the dining room, two different chair styles encircle the table. Fabric on chairs is the same as on the curtains.

I love this kitchen with the eat in breakfast table. Dressy French chairs juxtaposed with farm table.

In this Showhouse, Kasler decorated the dining room using two different chair styles. Saladino shelter sofas sit beneath the bookcase built-ins.

In another house - a dining room with a Niermann Weeks chandelier and skirted table. I love the slips on these chairs with their small mini pleat hems.

A picture of the entry hall in another Showhouse designed by Kasler. Here, again, she used oversized stools under a library table.

Here, Kasker used two seating arrangements in the living area.

The other side of the living room. These interiors are more contemporary than Kalser usually does.

The bedroom in the Showhouse. Plain linens and printed linens, seagrass, and comfortable seating work together to make this a serene room.

Suzanne's personal home: her living room, bathed in neutrals, again color comes from pops of fabrics and accessories. At this time, this home has been sold and Kasler is completely renovating an older home in Atlanta to move into.

63 comments:

Kasler is hands down one of my favorite designers. Even though she is probably well known for her palettes, my favorite rooms of hers (ironically enough) are the ones with pops of color - or better yet, LOTS of color.

PS - This is the 3rd time I've been directed to your blog today... which tells me I need to add you to my blogroll, so I'm doing it NOW!

agree with coco. That beach house is one of my favorite. I have that issue of Southern Accents and that tile is Ann Sacks glass subway tile. I have one, I ordered the sample and it looks like swimming pool water. It is a perfect tile for a white kitchen or bathroom! You've introduced me to homes she's done I've never seen. She's excellent.

I particularly love the entry room in her home. The abstract behind the day bed looks like it's a fresco, how cool. Her dining room colors are so romantic...the photography makes some of the rooms look like paintings rather than photos. Truly lovely post.

You know I love this post! SK is probably my #1 favorite designer. It is so interesting to see the range of her work in one place, and I had not seen any preview pictures of her furniture line! Great post.

Hi Joni, She is one of my favorites for sure!!!!!! But if I'm playing along, I think I would put Eric Kohler here. Kasler would be much closer to the top for me. She's so talented and always uses really fine contemporary art. Thanks for a great post.

I have had that Southern Accents kitchen in my ideas file for ages! She really is such a talent. I love looking at her work. I am going to have to check out that Hickory Furniture line!Thanks for another great profile!

Joni, As usual great post. The current Southern accents (I think, not at home to look right now) has a Kasler lake house on Lake Oconee. It is really beautiful, not your typical "lake house". I have saved that Southern Accents showhouse at the beach for years. One of these days I'm going to use that gorgous aqua & brown fabric on the front hall benches.

You have the best taste in designers, I really love so many of these rooms. I am not always in the know about who designed them, but when I see them all in one place like this I say OF COURSE one person did all of these, no wonder I loved them all.

Joni, Oh my what a gorgeous post. I adore Georgian homes - the kitchens and dining rooms she's done are to die for! She really does have exquisite taste and I can see why she is published so often. There was a fun raspberry accented living room that I had no idea was done by her. Very interesting and great post!

I love the pops of blue... on the tile, the ceiling, the walls, the furniture, or the accessories. Those slip covered dining room chairs with the mini-pleat are a must have for me. Thanks, once again for the mini class... it was fun !

That kitchen from the Southern Accents Showhouse has got be my all-time favorite. I think Suzanne has just the right balance of classic style with an injection of youthful, hip verve and color to make her designs stand out from the rest. As always, your post was thorough and fantastic, Joni. Thank you!

I love Kasler's use of color in neutral rooms. It is not so subtle, yet subtle at the same time. Her rooms are definitely a study in juxtopositions. I absolutely love the blue ceiling in the dining room of the lake house.

Joni! Heavenly! What a lovely post you've done. I thought Michael Smith was my favorite designer, but after scrolling through her rooms, I think I love her too! I never even heard of her (I just look at the pictures!), so thanks for the education!! Her rooms are elegant and soft with all those pretty blues and whites and creams, a look I am smitten. LOVE!

i could eat her with a spoon, i love her so much. she would be much further down on my list- i'd say #2 or #3. i find myself referencing her designs almost daily. the watersound showhouse was like a bible to me. i still go back to it for inspiration. i just can't say enough about how much i love her!!

They are not quite my taste, but they are flawless and elegant rooms nonetheless. If Marie Antoinette was modern, this is what it would look like. Can't wait to see the rest. They are the most amazing posts, practically a book.

I want that kitchen - blue glass tiles, the white marble and the woven shades......YUM. Also the shade in the other kitchen - maybe a Galbraith and Paul fabric? Kind of contemporary but not? What a great post from you, once again - thanks for all the eye candy! She is one of my favorites, too.

OMG those images! You can be sure I'll be studying them -they are candy for my eyes and after seeing so much bad living --this is like heaven. Thank you for the fantastic intro --I can't even wait for the rest of your top designers!-hint hint? ;-)

Kasler is simply going to be BIG. The Georgian entry blew my socks off. Is Gywneth Paltry as Emma hiding behind the corner? And Newsweek says the days of Pax America are behind us!Don't think so. Wow!!

Wow you have outdone yourself! I love all the beautiful photos you posted- it kept me scrolling down wanting to read more and more...can't wait for designer #7. I especially love Kasler's pink dining room- stunning!

Amazing, gorgeous, beautiful, stunning, inspiring, she seems to have it all, and with a talent/gift like that it is certainly well deserving. Still one of my all time favorites is the house that put her on the map. I have yet to grow tired of looking at it, not sure I ever will. Thank you for a great post on and sharing so many wonderful images of her lovely work. xo

I am looking for white cabinets for my kitchen and this is the second time I have been directed to your blog, I must follow it! She does amazing work! I need accents of teal in every room of my house so I love all the teal in your choices!

Amazing!! Does anyone recognize the console table in the pink dining room? I am dying for it. Sicne it is used in another one of her homes, I'm thinking it might not be a one of a kind piece, which would make my day (and my dining room!). Thanks.

Hi, I’m Joni Webb. I believe in beautiful homes, gracious style, and timeless decorating. Cote de Texas is the place where I record my interior observations as a writer. I also accept limited design commissions within the Houston, Texas area.

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